Top Hrs Official Defends Action Taken On Worker

July 3, 1986|By Jenni Bergal, Staff Writer

A top official of the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services has defended his agency`s decision not to suspend or fire a welfare worker who has been accused of mishandling the case of an abused boy who was killed in May.

John Stokesberry, the HRS district administrator in Broward County, said Wednesday that the written reprimand given to the worker was sufficient punishment.

``I was completely satisfied with the action we took,`` he said. ``The written reprimand was quite appropriate.``

But members of a watchdog group that criticized HRS for its failure to strongly discipline the worker and her supervisor said they did not buy Stokesberry`s response.

``We continue to have concerns about the disciplinary action that was taken, whether Mr. Stokesberry agrees or not that this case was mishandled,`` said Sharon Solomon, chairman of the Human Rights Advocacy Committee.

The HRAC investigated HRS` handling of the case of Matthew Roberts, an 18- month-old Lauderdale Lakes boy who was killed May 28 while he was under the agency`s protection.

His mother`s boyfriend, George Morris Jr., 21, of Pompano Beach has been charged with first-degree murder in the boy`s death.

Members of the human rights committee initially were concerned that Matthew had not been seen by the HRS worker from the time he was placed under her protection in late March until the day he was killed.

HRS gave the worker, Karen Crispo, a written reprimand for failing to see the child within three days, and monthly thereafter -- which is an HRS requirement. Her supervisor, Shirlean Harden, was not disciplined.

But the watchdog group became even more critical of HRS after a June 17 article published in the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel revealed that the worker who tried unsuccessfully to make contact with Matthew before he died was dialing the wrong telephone number, according to records.

At the time, Matthew and his mother, Adrienne Coley, were living with his maternal grandmother -- a living arrangement that had been required by HRS.

Although the grandmother`s correct phone number was listed several times in the HRS file, the worker never called the home, but instead kept dialing another number that was disconnected, according to records.

Advocate group members have said the worker should have at least been suspended and her supervisor reprimanded for their mishandling of the case.

Lynette Beal, program manager of the HRS Children, Youth and Families unit, has said that the mistake was an oversight and that such problems often result from workers handling as many as 50 cases each.

But Stokesberry conceded Wednesday that the worker had a load of 30 cases, which he termed ``rather light.``

He noted, however, that the worker had fallen ill from hepatitis during the two-month period, and that other circumstances he could not discuss because of the confidentiality laws made it impossible for the worker to see Matthew.